Rule of law in good shape, says CE

Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Friday said Hong Kong’s rule of law is well recognised, citing improvement in the city’s rule of law ratings over the past 25 years.

Speaking at an event organised by the Law Society, Lam said the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators showed that the city’s ratings had risen from a score of 69.8 in 1996 to 91.8 in 2020, adding that the score has remained over 90 since 2003.

The figure peaked at 95.19 in 2015 and 2018.

The Worldwide Governance Indicators measure six areas of governance for more than 200 countries and territories from 1996 to 2020, including government effectiveness, rule of law and regulatory quality.

The CE said she noted that various organisations had looked into the SAR’s rule of law situation in recent years, but she said those surveys had been rather subjective with pre-set questions.

Chief Justice Andrew Cheung said the rule of law has been the basis of Hong Kong’s success and the Basic Law is the foundation of the city’s rule of law.

He also said judicial independence is an important element of the rule of law, adding any undue pressure on judges and judicial officers should be condemned.

The president of the Law Society, Chan Chak-ming, said the city’s rule of law has come under enormous challenges over the past two years. He said the Law Society will try its best to maintain the rule of law.